I am Gohan
by kingkakarott
Summary: What if Gohan had been more affected by the cell games than portrayed in canon? What if the cell games changed Gohan? A more serious approach to Gohan's life where he meets new people, makes friends, finds love and all the other highschool related drama.
1. Bearings

Disclaimer: I do not own dragon ball z, gt or super, that privilege is held by Akira Toriyama

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 **Hello and welcome. This is Kingkakarott speaking. This is the first chap of a brand new, awesome fanfic.**

 **Its my first ever fanfic so pls guys take it easy on me. Dont forget to leave your reviews. Enjoy :)**

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"Seven years, its been seven years since this downward spiral began. Still the resounding 'DADDY' rings clear in my ears. The stuff of my nightmeres. Why? why did he go and sacrifice himself , someone else should have done it for a change. I know its selfish of me to think like this but what can you expect from a 17 year old father deprived boy."

sigh*

"Mom fell into depression soon after that faithful day. She still cries from time to time. Maybe she misses him, we all do. I admire her, truly the strongest woman, well if you dont count a bio-engineered blonde. She overcame her shortcoming for what was most precious to her, her sons. Yes sons. My little brother was born soon after the 'games', as the gang dubbed it. Ah a bundle of joy he is. Maybe his birth is what triggered Mom's recovery.

sigh*

"He looks so much like him. A carbon copy if there ever was one. Sometimes it feels like he's still among us. But its never the same. Don't get me wrong, I love Goten to death, but 'he' gave life a new meaning. That signature grin, that carefree attitude; people were just attracted to it. He gave them hope, he gave them reason. How unfortunate his own son became the reason for his death".

sigh*

"Again delving into darker thoughts, maybe Mom's right I should get out more. Staying cooped up in a small room doesnt really help one's mental health".

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His scream was muffuled by his hand. Cold sweat glistening on his bare torso as he abruptly sat up. They have been occuring less frequently, the nightmares. They have always been the same, of the games that is, but his imagination had a tendency to run wild twisting the event into the most horrendous of ways.

A glance at the clock tells that it's 5:45 am. One hour before mom woke up. Sleep evades him. Sighing to himself he gets up from bed to follow his morning routine.

"Might as well get started"

Walking over to his closet he looks out of the window taking in the orange and purple hues. It was truly beautiful where he lived, Mount Paozu. A sanctuary for several creatures, for him.

sigh*

Breaking his train of thought, he opened the closet and let the nostalgia set in. His hand caressing the fabric of the attire. Orange, the colour of joy. His father's gi hung just beside his. A deep blue, almost purple you could call it. Donning his own gi, he didn't deserve to wear his father's, he set out of the house.

"Okay, this seems far enough",he said to himself, beginning to stretch out his muscles. Feeling the strain he knew he overworked himself yesterday but when has that stopped him. The stance came naturally to him, his father's from the turtle school of martial arts. Inhaling a deep breath he let all his inhibitions go

" _Let go of your inhibitions, push your boundries, explore your limitations and find what stimulates you, that is the mark of a true warrior."_

He smirked remembering one of Piccolo's lessons. Exhaling he let his body flow. Years of rigorous training came forward as the muscles in his arm contracted brimming with power. A punch was thrown.

Well, maybe leveling mountains is a great way to relieve stress.


	2. Connection

Disclaimer: I do not own dragon ball z, gt or super, that privilege is held by Akira Toriyama.

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 **Welcome back guys, here's the new chappy. A few days ago I released the first chap and was told it was short. Well, here is the second chap a little more decent in length. hope you guys enjoy :)**

 **Don't forget to review, Kingkakarott over and out.**

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"-usand nine ninety five, nine thousand nine ninety six, nine th-"

Drip Drip Drip

"-ine ninety seven, nine thousand nine n-"

Drip Drip Drip

"-ight, nine thousand nine ninety nine"

Drip Drip Drip

"Ten thousand "

A loud grunt echoed from the surroundings as one Son Gohan picked himself up. He had been going at it since the past hour as evident by his apparel. His gi top lay strewn on the grass due to the hot climate of the country side. A thin shean of sweat covered his form. Abused muscles clearly visible for all to see. He tilted his head upwards seeing the sun had risen above the canopy of trees. Goten might be getting up soon. Gohan gathered his gi top, his fingers brushing the cool grass underneath it. He had always liked this feeling, of being outdoors. The nature relaxed him. He had learned to appriciate the little things in life from an early age. A smile tugged at his lips recalling something his father told him once.

" _Get lost in nature and you will find yourself "_

"Dad", the word involuntarily escaped his lips. Eyes brimming with unshed tears. how long had it been since he had last cried, he did'nt know. "Watch over us", A lone tear streaked its way down his cheek. Brushing it away quickly he started to trek towards his house.

The clearing felt barren, the chirping of the birds, the rustling of the leaves, the howling of the wind, all seemed facet of a time long forgotten.

A small wisp of air passed through the clearing carrying in itself a voice

" _I will, my son"._

As if someone had breathed new life into it, the clearing became a plethora of voices. A sparrow chirped, a leaf rustled, the wind picked up.

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He could see her from the distance. She was busy working on the field. Self sustenance was important if you were to live in the mountain area. With little populace around the area and a few hundred mile commute to the nearest city it was necessary that one provides for himself.

She smiled as he approached the house. A true smile that is. Those came rare these days. It's not that she did'nt smile, she would in the presence of their family and freinds, but the way her eyes would sparkle at the mention of Dad's name or when she would look at Goten and him, at those moments you could make out the difference.

He smiled back.

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"vum vam churnks mm anm pway ch-"

 _'Smack'_

He cringed at the resounding smack that echoed in the kitchen. At least he was'nt on the other end of the frying pan. Sometimes his mom downright terrified him.

 _'Poor Goten'_

"Son Goten you will not be speaking with food in your mouth, is that understood "

"Yes Mommy", responded the boy after swallowing. No need for another smack. Sometimes he wondered what that damn thing was made of. Only a few things could resist a saiyan's hard head.

"Now what were you asking sweety", he swore he saw 'it' vanish into thin air.

"Well I was asking if trunks could come and play today. Its been a whole week since we last saw each other at auntie's place. Can we, pretty please", ah the puppy dog eyes.

"Of course he can sweety, I already invited auntie Bulma for dinner".

"yaaaaaayyy", well someone's excited for dinner.

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The afternoon passed quickly with him bieng occupied by Goten. They had gone fishing some time during 12 pm. There was a lake a mile or two towards the northwest from their house. Goten had been ranting in his ear how he did'nt spend enough time with him. He remembered how, when he was young, his father would take him fishing whenever he felt upset. He had very fond memories of this place.

His thoughts went back to the particular day before the cell games. It had been his birthday. They had been so relaxed that day, lying beside the lake. Krillin was with them too, he remembered. He smiled thinking back to how the former monk had thought Dad to be indestructible, with his Super Saiyan aura and the blonde hair. 'To control their powers better', had been the reason for their altered appearance. Krillin had then chucked a rock at Dad's face and to both of their surprise it had actually hit. Dad had been pretty upset with krillin but soon let it go. All three of them had then lied on the grass soaking in the sunlight. They had been so at peace basking in the tranquillity of their surroundings.

His gaze lingered towards Goten, his face marred by a frown. Guilt tugged at his heart. Goten would never experience what he had. He never had a father. A father taken from him even before he was born, due to his own brother no less.

 _"No! stop dammit. He would'nt want me to be like this"_

sigh*

Again looking towards Goten, who seemed to be poking a Lizard with a stick, his resolve renewed. Yes, Dad would'nt want him to be like this. He would be the best big brother and role model for the little tyke. He knew he could'nt take his father's place but damn him if he did'nt try to fill in the void. Goten deserved it.

"Goten!"

Cathing his attention he gestered to him that it was time to head back. Picking up the bucket full of Trout he started to lead the way back towards the house. Goten followed with a bucket of his own in hand and a fishing rod hoisted over the shoulder. A million watt smile etched over his face, eyes beaming in wonder towards the fish he caught. He looked every bit like Dad.

Yes, Goten deserved it.

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The scent of his mothers cooking wafted through the house tickling his nose. A loud growl permeated the air. Moms cooking always did this to him. No matter how much he ate he would always be wanting seconds, or thirds, or fourths...

Well maybe it was the Saiyan appetite but still his Mom's culinary skills were exceptional.

Goten was already busy looking out of the window. They should be arriving anytime soon. As predicted the telltale buzz of a hovercar reached his ears after only a few minutes. He stood up from the couch moving swiftly towards the door to greet their guests. A glance towtowards the clock from the corner of the eye told him it was 'quarter past 6'. He teached for the door knob, twisting it towards the right.

' _What the...!'_

A purple bullet just shot past his legs into the house leaving him dumfounded. He glanced up, seeing Bulma with her eyes filled with mirth.

"Well what do you know, the strongest bieng on the planet can't even catch a child"

"He is vageta's"

She shrugged. That was all the explanation she needed. He moved aside to let her in, greeting her with a small nod.

He kept the door open.

"He did'nt come".

So again vageta refused to come. Thinking back to the prince Gohan knew exactly why. Vageta was always prideful. He had mellowed out a little since Namek but you could still see the aura of superiority he tried to portray. But after Dad's death, Vageta changed. Former enemies turned rivals, both of them were always at odds. Vageta had made it his lifelong ambition to surpass the 'clown', as he called him. Both of them had formed a bond. The last full bloded Saiyans. They were exact opposites but also the same in many ways. Like two sides of the same coin.

Dad's death left vageta stranded. The last full blooded Saiyan, Prince of an extinct race. His ambition forever incomplete. He doubted Vageta would have stayed on Earth if he hadn't had Bulma and Trunks.

Closing the door he followed Bulma inside. Trunks was playing with Goten on the couch. Something called lego or something. He did'nt have much of a childhood. He saw Bulma making her way to the kitchen. She and mom had been like sisters after 'that' day. One had lost a dear friend and the other her love. Bulma had also helped his mother through her depression, bieng a friend, consoling her when she mourned and giving her company during her darkest times. They had also formed a bond, Bulma and him. A second mother if he dare say. He remembered clearly, it had just been a few days since the cell games. Mom had fortified herself in her room. Even grandpa had been unable to coax her out. Bulma had been visiting everyday. He had stayed strong in front of everyone but on the inside he was like a lost child crying for his dad. Bulma had approached him sometime later when he was alone. Asked him if he was alright.

The dam broke.

She had stayed all night as he cried, hugging him, soothing him with soft words. When he calmed himself enough he had apologized but she had told him it was okay.

 _"I see him in you, Gohan",_ she had said. She had hugged him one last time before leaving with Trunks.

His line of sight immediately moved towards said boy. His lavender hair so unlike his father's. Trunks was just as much of a brother to him as Goten was. Though not as overly hyper as Goten, Trunks had his fair share of childish antics. Bieng the smarter one (self evaluation),pride seemed to be a genetic trait, Trunks would always lead the charge in their adventures; dragging Goten with him. If you would look closely you could clearly see the vageta in him. That overconfident posture, that attitude and that smirk. Though now if one would see him, they would only see a carefree child with no idea what kind of dangers are present out there in the universe. He would make sure that it remains like this for a long time. He would protect them with his life.

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Dinner had been pleasent. Mom had made sure of it with the variety of dishes she had made. They boys had stuffed themselves full and were now in Goten's room playing some video games. He had also finished his portion of the food and was now watching television. Though isolated the 439 mountain area had telephone, satellite and electricity services for nearby villages.

Mom and Bulma were still seated at the dining table, talking in hushed tones. He wondered what they were talking about. He had caught them glancing towards him from the corner of his eye, so maybe they were discussing something about him.

"Gohan"

As if on cue his mother called out to him. Shifting his focus away from the television, he stood up from the couch and made his way towards the table. Once seated he raised a inquisitive eyebrow. Whatever the matter was must be very important seeing that both women were looking at him intently.

"so..."

The way they both looked at each other he knew he was screwed

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 **Cliffhanger! Well most of y'all already guessed what might happen in the next chapter. Cm'on it wasn't that hard. Gohan's next big adventure begins soon. Stay tuned.**


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